Editor’s Note: This is the third installment in “Off Guard,” a series on surprise in war inspired by a new CSIS study. Read the rest of the series here. It is 2020. Tensions have been rising steadily in Northeast Asia. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un resume exchanging insults as North Korea falls into another

Artist Trevor Paglen is best known for images of the security state – drones, spy satellites and rendition planes – For a new work commissioned by the Cantor Arts Center he’s collaborated with Kronos Quartet and Obscura Digital to look under the hood of artificial intelligence and machine vision.

Neurotechnology would significantly increase the speed at which information is transferred from humans to machines, and a brain-systems interface may be a requirement to keep up with the pace and complexity of future combat zones.

The Chief of the Luftwaffe is to leave his position in large part due to his support for a German procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Jane’s has learned. Lieutenant General Karl Müllner will leave his position by the end of May, with the news of his retirement breaking just two days after Germany’s defence secretary, Ursula von der Leyen, was sworn in for another term. Jane’s understands that Gen Müllner’s outspoken public support for the JSF as a successor to the German Tornado fleet was pivotal in the decision for his early retirement. “The Luftwaffe considers the F-35’s capability as the benchmark for the selection process for the Tornado replacement, and I think I have expressed myself clearly enough as to what the favourite of the air force is,” Gen Müllner told Jane’s and other media in November 2017. The Chief of the Luftwaffe’s active support of the JSF clashes with current Ministry of Defence planning, which prefers a successor solution involving the Eurofighter Typhoon.

The China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) now offers its new anti-tank missile carrier for Iraqi Armed Forces. According to a local source, Chinese company offers advanced anti-tank missile system, mounted on the chassis of the 8×8 VN1 wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The new anti-tank missile carrier is armed with a light version of the HJ-10A missiles (Chinese clone of the Israeli Spike NLOS). The new vehicle also was displayed during the sixth edition of International Defense Exhibition (IQDEX-2018) held in Baghdad, in March.

The U.S. Army has placed two orders totaling $97 million for BAE Systems to provide new night vision goggles and thermal weapon sights, which together will enable soldiers to rapidly and covertly acquire targets in all weather and lighting conditions. The orders are part of a previously announced five-year contract for the Army’s Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III and Family of Weapon Sight-Individual (ENVG III/FWS-I) program. “Aiming to provide the most technically advanced and lightweight solution possible, our goggles allow soldiers to quickly detect and engage targets for a tactical edge,” said Marc Casseres, director of Precision Guidance and Sensing Solutions at BAE Systems. “When fully integrated with the FWS-I weapon sight, the combined solution provides superior imagery and a target acquisition capability that can greatly increase mission success and survivability.”